A policy battle is now raging in the United States which has the most profound implications for every Australian citizen. The protagonists in this battle, which is shaking Washington, D.C. to its core, are U.S. Democratic Party 2004 Presidential pre-candidate Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. and Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney is the central figure in the ‘neo-conservative’, actually fascist cabal which has seized power in the U.S. in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. This cabal is acting on behalf of an international group of financiers, who are well aware that the U.S., and the world with it, are plunging into the greatest Depression in history, as merely indicated by the U.S.’s astronomical current account deficit, its skyrocketing budget deficit and its collapsing dollar. These financiers are acutely aware that any day now, the U.S. dollar-centred global financial system could blow. Anything could touch it off, given its wildly overvalued mortgage bubbles, its hundreds of trillions of dollars of indebtedness and the fact that leading banks and corporations in many countries are all hanging on by a thread.
As happened in the 1930s, both in the U.S. and in Australia, the question then becomes, who holds political power? Will it be a government committed to the Common Good, in which case the financiers will have to stand in line for whatever repayments are offered them out of national and global bankruptcy proceedings? Or, as in 1930’s Germany, will the financiers install a fascist government in power courtesy of new ‘Reichstag fires’ such as 9/11? The latter would allow the financiers to grind up domestic and foreign populations to maintain their financial assets and political power.
Using the excuse of a ‘war against terrorism’, bankers’ boy Dick Cheney is leading the drive to establish fascism in the United States, through such vehicles as the notorious ‘Patriots Act’ and the ‘Homeland Defense’ apparatus, as well as through the unparalleled thuggish actions of the Cheney-led White House and the Republican Party leadership in the House of Representatives toward perceived or actual political opponents. He is also spearheading a push for an endless series of wars, beginning with Iraq, but quickly moving toward pre-emptive nuclear strikes against others—an option which is clearly visible on the horizon for a U.S. army already badly overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. will soon become a fascist behemoth with horrific consequences for the rest of the world…
NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site when he comes to New York City next week, but the request was denied, a police official said Wednesday.
Howdy there. I was just reflecting on the homeland, and what it means to be American. Americans have a tradition of speaking their minds. Why, it’s part of what makes this country so great, and I reckon it’s part of why the rest of the world hates us.
Since the Minot story broke a week ago about the missing nukeclandestine operation from Minot, we have the following (for those who are paying attention):
1. All six people listed below are from Minot Airforce base
2. All were directly involved as loaders or as pilots
3. All are now dead
4. All within the last 7 days in ‘accidents’
I wish I had more time to research this, but I’ve also heard one of the nukes is missing. Also I read a very interesting article on the procedures around flying nukes over the U.S., which unfortunately I can’t find the link for. If I recall correctly, this “mistake” hasn’t happened in the last 40 years and it’s basically impossible for it to have been a mistake.
I truly find it difficult to have any sort of compassion for this young man. The footage we have seen is very straight forward. This person crossed a line in public behavior that brought on consequences, and he was apparently very willing to escalate things to ever greater levels.
These are some of the most disturbing comments I have ever read. If these comments are real, then the townsfolk are literally crying out for an authoritarian overlord at every public assembly.
Is this really what Americans believe?
“I support the police 100%. I do believe that if they had used the oppropriate level of force and restrained this guy and escorted him out effectivly from the begining things would not have escalated to to the point that they did. He should not have been able to struggle free flalling his arms about, ect. He got taserd because he refused to comply to the police. We have given police this kind of authority for a reason. When things go wrong and someone is able to hurt others we complain that the police didn’[t use enough force. Let them do their job, let this be a message that we should learn to respect the police and and understand that they will do what they have been trained to do to keep us all safe.
Asshole: we explicitly did NOT grant the police the authority to swarm us while we questioned our representatives.
The only sure thing that can be said from watching this video is that Meyer had the power to stop the confrontation by complying with the Officer’s lawful order. I believe the Officers involved showed great restraint in the incident. The descion to use multiple Officers and the Taser demonstrated to me the Officers not wanting to cause bodily harm to Meyer.
What!?!? It’s NOT lawful to attack someone like that, especially since Kerry agreed to hear the question! Lawful order?!?! You’re a crackhead!
I felt all along that the student was at fault. Then I heard that he is known for video-taping his “pranks” for which he is well-known on campus. This was purely a bid to get attention, and he certainly has done that. Stop reporting it and he’ll go away.
At fault!?! He was talking, and then the police were shoving him away from the microphone. Kerry said he would answer the question. What, exactly, is he at fault for?
I believe that this student was being unruly. It shows him cursing while questioning Kerry. As soon as the guards were trying to usher him out, he should have complied. Instead he fought while pushing and pulling to get away from the guards. This student was at fault!
Hold on a second - he was at fault for being unruly? He was cursing? IT WAS A FUCKING POLITICAL FORUM. He pointed out that Clinton was impeached for getting a blowjob, and that W should be impeached before he starts a war with Iran. That’s over the line?
These comments are so far out as to be completely unbelievable. They’re not real people - paid shills from France or something. That’s not how rugged, gun-toting, freedom-loving Americans roll. It’s not how Americans talk. It’s simply the wimpiest, most pathetically cowardly way to react to an obvious abuse of authority. The kid was NOT testing the limits of free speech, but the cops were testing the limits of reasonable force… and the heartland of America decides that sort of violence is good for this country?
Naughty! He said blowjob. My virgin ears. TAKE HIM DOWN. TASE HIM AGAIN. KILL KILL KILL.
Fox censors Sally Fields anti Iraq war statement at the 2007 Emmys during her acceptance speech for winning for her role in the ABC drama Brothers and Sisters.
Lights Out San Francisco is a citywide energy conservation event on Oct. 20, 2007. On this night, we invite the entire city of San Francisco to install one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour.
Neat. We don’t really have any lights to turn off, though… but we do draw 420 watts when the office is kicking! (I blame the 20-inch CRT)
Okay - this one takes a moment to parse. Say it with me now: さんの作品（ニコニコ動画から転載）
^_^
As I understand it, this video is a cover of a Japanese pop song. What’s remarkable is that the vocals are entirely synthesized. There’s probably not a single organic sound in the thing.
“The controversy over Blackwater is an unfortunate demonstration of the perils of excessive reliance on private security contractors,” said Waxman, D-California. Blackwater, founded in 1997 and based in Moyock, North Carolina, is one of many security firms contracted by the U.S. government during the Iraq war. An estimated 25,000 employees of private security firms are working in Iraq, guarding diplomats, reconstruction workers and government officials. As many as 200 are believed to have been killed on the job, according to U.S. congressional reports. Some Blackwater personnel died in a grisly attack in Iraq more than three years ago that sparked shock and outrage in the United States. Four Americans working as private security personnel for Blackwater, all of whom were military veterans, were ambushed, killed and mutilated in March 2004 in Falluja, west of Baghdad. People close to the company estimate it has lost about 30 employees during the war.
The way to report fatalities in an outsourced war: we lost 30 employees.
A military watchdog organization filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and a US Army major, on behalf of an Army soldier stationed in Iraq. The suit charges the Pentagon with widespread constitutional violations by allegedly trying to force the soldier to embrace evangelical Christianity and then retaliating against him when he refused.
The complaint, filed in US District Court in Kansas City, by the nonprofit Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), on behalf of Jeremy Hall, an Army specialist currently on active duty in Speicher, Iraq, alleges that Hall’s First Amendment rights were violated beginning last Thanksgiving when, because of his atheist beliefs, he declined to participate in a Christian prayer ceremony commemorating the holiday.
“Immediately after plaintiff made it known he would decline to join hands and pray, he was confronted, in the presence of other military personnel, by the senior ranking … staff sergeant who asked plaintiff why he did not want to pray, whereupon plaintiff explained because he is an atheist,” says the lawsuit, a copy of which was provided to Truthout. “The staff sergeant asked plaintiff what an atheist is and plaintiff responded it meant that he (plaintiff) did not believe in God. This response caused the staff sergeant to tell plaintiff that he would have to sit elsewhere for the Thanksgiving dinner. Nonetheless, plaintiff sat at the table in silence and finished his meal.”
Moreover, the complaint alleges that on August 7, when Hall received permission by an Army chaplain to organize a meeting of other soldiers who shared his atheist beliefs, his supervisor, Army Major Paul Welborne, broke up the gathering and threatened to retaliate against the soldier by charging him with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The complaint also alleges that Welborne vowed to block Hall’s reenlistment in the Army if the atheist group continued to meet - a violation of Hall’s First Amendment rights under the Constitution. Welborne is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The photos provide a stunning counterpoint to what up until now has been the only major source of preliberation Auschwitz photos, the so-called Auschwitz Album, a compilation of pictures taken by SS photographers in the spring of 1944 and discovered by a survivor in another camp. Those photos depict the arrival at the camp of a transport of Hungarian Jews, who at the time made up the last remaining sizable Jewish community in Europe. The Auschwitz Album, owned by Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum, depicts the railside selection process at Birkenau, the area where trains arrived at the camp, as SS men herded new prisoners into lines.
What recourse do passengers that encounter things like this with the TSA have? This is obviously a case where the TSA officer felt that it would be easier to lie to justify his actions, rather than do the right thing and help someone.
How can Delta let my bag fly without me? I thought that airlines are supposed to remove passengers that do not board? Isn’t this a HUGE security risk? I mean, you could read my story and find a massive loop-hole in the security system at airports. Especially given that in recent “dry-runs” bags with simulated bombs made it onto planes. I know I don’t feel safe now, knowing that the baggage belonging to the guy being detained at security is on the plane even if he is not. Does keeping him off the plane make us safer?
Why should coach passengers be discriminated against? Why do first class passengers receive special security treatment? Are they paying more taxes to support the TSA? No! They should be in line with every other tax payer in coach.
Seriously, what if I end up on a “no-fly” list? What recourse does one have in a situation like this? Like this guy?
Who is GAT Security? How did a company with two employees, Jackie and Kyle, with only a cell phone get into a position where they can over rule the TSA and dictate what passengers get on to their flights and which get delayed?
Why did the TSA’s Scott Stanfield refuse to provide me the name of the other TSA employee? His excuse was bogus, if the employee wears a badge… his name is not a government secret!
Infuriating article of someone’s experience. The situation is out of control. If you’ve flown, then there’s little chance you haven’t been abused.
I’ve been debating for a while whether I should post this or not. This photo was taken in flight in the washroom of an airplane after passing through security at an international terminal. Yes, that’s a box cutter, like what was used in the 9/11 attacks (taken on accidentally). Not only that but they searched the bag that contained it and missed it. Not only that, but they did require pouring out a coffee that had been bought at the entrance to the security line-up. Well, that made me feel safe.
Ever heard of the myth of standing up an egg on summer solstice? There are many who dispute it saying it can be done with “persistence” and “enough practice and skill” any day of the year. That’s fine, I did with one shot on the summer solstice… so did my buddy Ian… It’s up to you to decide…
Hmmm… yeah, this is weird - has anyone done this NOT on a solstice?
Eternal Image Inc., a maker of burial caskets and urns based in Farmington Hills, has signed an agreement to create a line of “Star Trek”-branded funeral products.
The line will include urns, caskets, memorials and vaults featuring images from the television show franchise. The agreement allows Eternal Image (OTC: ETIM.PK) to distribute the new line in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Korea and Japan, according to a company statement issued Friday.
“The agreement provides us with a tremendous opportunity to enter the entertainment industry category with an extremely popular and well-loved brand,” Eternal Image CEO Clint Mytych said in the statement.
“Our invalid clicks rate — the activity rate — has remained in the range of less than 10 per cent of all clicks every quarter since we launched AdWords in 2002. At Google’s current revenue rate, every percentage point of invalid clicks we throw out represents over $100 million [US per] year in potential revenue foregone,”
Seems to me the real losers are the advertisers paying Google.
“Liquid candy” to detractors, sweetened soft drinks are so ubiquitous that they contribute about 10 percent of the calories in the American diet, according to government data.
In fact, said Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist whose 2001 paper in the Lancet is widely cited by obesity researchers, sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain.
And I was worried it was the stick of butter wrapped with bacon I eat for breakfast.
